AASHTO Presents Transportation Vision for the 21st Century

The American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) recently published "A
New Vision for the 21st Century,"
the fifth in a series of seven reports
prepared for the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Revenue
Study Commission. AASHTO partnered
with seven other organizations
to create the vision report. An additional
17 groups, including GHSA,
jointly submitted the report to the
National Commission.

The report contains a chapter
specific to safety, recommending
the adoption of a national goal to
reduce total annual highway fatalities
by 50 percent by the year 2030,
toward the ultimate goal of zero
deaths.

The primary objectives outlined
are reducing congestion, keeping
America globally competitive and
meeting the mobility needs of 21st
century. The report covers key
strategies for achieving the vision,
including a multi-modal approach
that preserves what has been built
to date, improves system performance
and adds capacity in highways,
transit, rail, airports and seaports.

In terms of capacity, the report
estimates that, even after cutting
growth in vehicle miles traveled by
shifting as many trips as possible
to transit and rail, Interstate lane
miles will still need to be increased
by 80 percent by 2055. Additional
improvements are needed in connections
to global markets and
regional passenger rail service, two
areas where the United States lags
behind other nations.

All the changes recommended
will require a quantum increase in
transportation funding, enhanced
use of advanced technologies,
reduction in government regulations
and more collaboration
among jurisdictions.

As a next step, AASHTO is
planning a major public education
outreach campaign to inform the
general population about the transportation
needs America faces and
the actions needed to meet these
needs.